Los Angeles residents have been waiting for the Metro D line to extend its reach down Wilshire Boulevard for more than a decade, and the time has finally come to unveil the new extension. Stations at La Brea Avenue, Fairfax Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard will open Friday, giving riders the ability to get from Beverly Hills to Downtown L.A. in an gridlock-busting 20 minutes.
Though the city continues to be almost hopelessly car-centric, the extension of the D line is a huge step for those Angelenos willing to give the Metro a chance — and possibly save a lot of sitting in traffic at the same time.
Actor Ed Begley Jr., a longtime environmentalist and advocate for public transit, says he plans to be there opening day. “I will ride it regularly,” he predicts.
“Jerry Maguire” actor Jerry O’Connell will host the opening ceremonies Friday morning atop the Petersen Museum, which is adjacent to the new Fairfax station. All metro trains and buses are free to ride from Friday to Sunday, with food, music and more activities based at the new stations and the Western Avenue station on Friday afternoon.
Each of the stops includes several new large-scale artworks themed to the city, from art deco designs to movie camera murals and more.
Paul Turang
The D Line, which starts at Union Station, will become even more useful for riders with the opening of the Beverly Drive, Century City and UCLA stations, which are planned to launch before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games.
Begley Jr. says that it’s imperative to encourage Angelenos to use public transit. “We can and we must,” he says, “We built wider freeways and the space is taken up in short order. We can’t build more freeways to solve our problems. We must rely on public transportation as a solution.”
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are just a few of the destinations he plans to hit on the D Line. “I have been to both many times but now I have a bigger reason to frequent them more regularly,” says Begley Jr.
The opening of the new stations has already created a viral moment with the cheeky “Ride the D” slogan, which Metro quickly turned into t-shirts and other merch based on feedback from fans on Reddit. The first batch of t-shirts sold out instantly, but more have since been stocked.
For anyone in need of transit inspiration, here are a few arts and entertainment stops close to the new stations:
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures: Some of the city’s best film programming and theaters, in addition to the museum itself, are steps away from the Fairfax station.
LACMA: The massive, striking new David Geffen Galleries at the L.A. County Museum of Art, designed by Peter Zumthor, also opened this week, stretching across Wilshire Boulevard in a sinuous curve containing a vast array of historic and contemporary pieces.
More museums: The Petersen Automotive museum and Craft Contemporary are also easily accessible from the Fairfax stop, in addition to many art galleries.
SAG-AFTRA and the WGA West: The headquarters of the actors guild is just a few blocks east of the Fairfax stop on Wilshire, while the Writers Guild of America West is a short walk north on Fairfax Avenue.
The Saban and Fine Arts Theatres: Live events at the Saban and special screenings at the Fine Arts are easy to get to from the La Cienega station.
The El Rey Theatre: Catch live music and performances at the El Rey, a few blocks west of the La Brea station.
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